Rena Stair

Rena Stair is a 2020-2024 Self Graduate Fellow pursuing a Ph.D. in Neuroscience. Rena, after completing high school in her home town, Chanute, KS, graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology. During college, Stair pursued her passion for science by attending two summer internships in North Carolina at Pfizer working with their newly-established gene therapy team. After graduating college 6 months early, Rena moved to work with Pfizer's gene therapy team in St. Louis until the beginning of graduate school. Currently, Rena's research focus is on the role of tissue inhibitor of metalloprotease-1 (Timp-1) during inflammation and spinal cord injury. Stair hopes to continue this research after graduate school and is trying to find druggable targets at the protein, DNA, and RNA levels to alleviate pain, inflammation, and further the field of personalized medicine. On the rare occasion, Rena is not in the lab she can be found running, beekeeping, or making mead. Mentor: Dr. Kyle Baumbauer, Assistant Professor, Anatomy, and Cell Biology.